1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the forwarding of “Caller ID data”, defined herein to include any non-verbal information containing a calling party's telephone number, recorded by a call answering device. More particularly, the invention relates to methods and apparatus for forwarding Caller ID data on demand when retrieving messages from an answering device using an endpoint telecommunications device and an associated call control system (such as the central office of the calling phone, a PBX, ToL Gatekeeper, wireless carrier switch, etc.), to fully or partially automate the dialing process for remotely calling back a message sender.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Caller ID service has become quite common in telephone systems throughout the country. Caller ID service can transmit a data signal together with the ringing signal when a call is placed. The called telephone receives the Caller ID data signal together with the ringing signal.
If the called telephone has the appropriate display, the name and telephone number (sometimes referred to herein as the “callback” number) of the calling party is displayed on the called telephone display.
An obvious purpose for Caller ID data is to facilitate call screening. If the called party does not wish to speak with the calling party, the called party can choose not to answer the phone.
Automatic call answering devices have been available for many decades. Examples include modern multimedia messaging systems, voicemail systems and simple answering machines. Single line devices like simple answering machines couple to the customer's telephone line at the customer's premises. Multi-line devices like voicemail systems may be coupled to subscriber lines at a telephone company central office or at a PBX.
Although the aforementioned types of answering devices are very different, they operate in similar ways. Typically an automatic answering device answers the customer's telephone after a programmed number of rings, plays a prerecorded announcement and records a message spoken by the calling party. Most modern answering devices also record the date and time of each message recorded.
A non-obvious benefit of Caller ID service is that the Caller ID service can be used together with an answering device to determine the phone number of a caller who left a message without speaking his phone number or who spoke his phone number in a manner which could not be understood.
Many Caller ID devices have a memory for storing the names and numbers of at least the last twenty-five callers. Many modern Caller ID devices also have a “callback” option which causes a selected one of the stored numbers to be dialed. The callback option can be used very effectively to return calls to callers who left messages on the answering device without having to write down a number and dial it manually. Unfortunately, this advantageous use of Caller ID data is only available if messages are retrieved at the called number using the answering device physically located at the called number.
Both answering machines and voicemail systems commonly allow customers to retrieve voice messages from virtually any telephone anywhere. When voice messages are retrieved using a telephone having a number different from the number dialed by the callers who left the voice messages, no Caller ID data is available. This situation also exists with cordless phones which, although having the number called by the callers who left messages, were turned off or out of range at the time the message was left.
It is very common for people to call answering devices using cell phones and/or pay phones where, for the reasons described above, no Caller ID information is available. This usually requires the person retrieving the messages to write down telephone numbers of callers who spoke their number and then manually redial the numbers to return the calls.
It would be much more convenient, particularly when using a cell phone to retrieve messages while driving for example, to be able to call back a person who left a message with little manual intervention, for example by simply pushing one button as one would with the call back feature of a Caller ID device, or in some instances with no manual interaction at all.
Some answering devices do collect Caller ID information and allow a person retrieving messages to call back the person who left the message. However, this feature can be very expensive and can result in so-called “trombone connections”. For example, if a NY cell phone customer is traveling in CA and retrieves a voice mail message from the person he is trying to meet in CA, an answering device call back feature would result in two coast-to-coast long distance calls, i.e. a trombone connection.